Birds Fly
by Draconicbeing2.0
Summary: A young Hiccup finds a bird in the forest. He struggles with letting his new friend go.


**Hey everyone! Long time no see, haha. I've had lots of things going on in my life right now, so I thought I'd make this short story. It's just a quick oneshot based off some deleted scenes from the third movie, and I really wish they'd kept them in! If you haven't seen it, the two scenes I used were "Your Responsibility" and "Dragon Trainer", I believe. Anyway, here it is!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

A young boy, around five years old, crashed through the forest. He was swinging a small wooden sword, attacking anything he could see. Grunting, the boy swiped at the air, and you could hear the booming chuckle of the proud Viking behind him.

The little boy stopped beside a root, exclaiming, "See that, Dad? This one's a Monstrous Nightmare!" Raising his sword, the boy whacked the root, grunting with the effort. Looking up, he pointed his sword at another tree, smiling. "And this one's a Deadly Nadder!" he shouted with glee, running up and attacking the trunk. Splinters fluttered around him, the wind blowing them away.

Running around the tree, he rested his sword on his shoulder, proudly saying, "Not as deadly as me though!"

The young boy turned and saw the older Viking behind him. "Right, Dad?" he asked, earning another hearty laugh. The man came upon his son, chuckling, "Not nearly as fortunate either".

The boy looked up at his father, joy alight in his eyes, and turned around. Whooping, he ran forward and swiped at the air again. He raised his sword, ready to bring it down upon the ground, when he saw a bundle of feathers.

The boy stopped, looking at it in surprise. It was a bird, hopping on the ground and trailing its wing. Lowering the sword, the boy tilted his head, then placed the sharpened wood on the grass.

He kneeled down to get a closer look, the bird peeping, seemingly unaware of the two Vikings standing before it. Studying it, he rested his arm on the ground before turning to look at his father. "What's wrong with it, Daddy?" he questioned, concern in his voice. The man came over and kneeled down beside his son, watching the bird.

The older man sighed, then looked up. There was a nest of twigs sitting on a branch, gently swaying in the wind. "I' fell from its nest and broke its wing," the man replied, looking back down at the bird. It peeped again, hopping a bit around. "Ahh, very sad," he murmured, looking at his son.

"These things happen, son," the father explained, and the boy turned his head in worry to look at his father in the eyes. The boy dropped his gaze and looked back at the small bird. The bird turned in a circle, and the man said, "The only righ' thing to do is to end it's suffering".

He sighed, then pushed his son up, shoving him away. "Head on down the path," he murmured.

"No Dad!" the boy cried out, looking at his father in horror. "No," he whined again, his facial features betraying sadness. "Hiccup-" The man sighed, getting cut off by his son.

"Can't we help him?" Hiccup asked, bringing his hands to his chest. "He's little, like me," he murmured, looking down at the chirping bird. Sniffling, he repeated, "Can't we help him get better?"

Hiccup closed his eyes, softly crying. His father looked at him in sadness, sighing. The boy wiped his eyes, and the man looked down, then looked back up at his son, as if saying _I'm doing this for you_. "Fetch me a twig," was all the man said.

Opening his eyes, Hiccup quietly said, "Okay," and ran off searching. He snapped off the tip of a small branch and hurried back to his father, saying "Here," as he handed it to the man. The father had picked up the chick and took the small twig from Hiccup's tiny hands. Hesitating, he asked, "Wanna hold him?" Hiccup nodded, holding out his arms.

The man gently placed the bird into the palms of his son's hands, saying, "Very carefully". The boy cradled the small, fragile bundle in his hands, then looked up at his father.

The father lifted his arm up and plucked a strand of hair from his own beard. Reaching down, he held the lame wing open and started tying the twig around it gently, acting as a sort of splint.

"He's your responsibility now, son. You must feed him, and care for him-" He finished tying the twig on, then cupped Hiccup's hands around the bird. "-Until he is able to fly free-".

Hiccup looked up at his father. "-and return to the wild," the man finished, stepping back.

Father and son stood, staring at each other for a few heartbeats, before Hiccup broke it and looked down at the chick. It turned to face him, looking up and cocking its head. Shivering, the bird fluffed out its feathers, and Hiccup smiled. Looking back up at his father, he vowed, "I will Dad. I promise".

The old man smiled, and the two turned and headed back to the village.

* * *

Stoick was standing sullen, with his arms folded. "So," he muttered. "Think you can outsmart me, huh?" He placed his hands on the table, bushy eyebrows furrowed. "Think you can stop the wrath of the mighty Gronckle?"

Stoick pulled out a piece, a wooden Gronckle, and placed it on the board, pushing it in front of Hiccup's Viking. Hiccup himself sat on a chair on the other side, eyes squinted in concentration. Stoick laughed, placing his hands on both sides of the board. "Your move," he exclaimed quickly, and Hiccup grinned evilly.

Leaning forward, he picked up the Viking and 'hit' the Gronckle piece with it. "Hah! I got your Gronckle Daddy!"

The boy picked up the dragon piece and did a mock flight in the air, shouting "Roar!" in glee and made an explosion sound. Stoick sat there, chuckling, "Ahh, hahaha. But you left your leader exposed-".

The man placed his fingers around a blue wooden Deadly Nadder, lifting it. "-so my Nadder, gets your Chief". Stoick used the Nadder piece and knocked Hiccup's chief over, picking it up. Hiccup held the Gronckle close, looking down.

"But, but, I love my Chief," he whimpered, fingering with the Gronckle. He suddenly stretched out his arm and dropped the Gronckle, turning away in his chair and crossing his arms. Stoick's gaze softened into a genuine smile.

Chuckling, he reached his hand out, holding the Chief piece. "Aw, that's alright. You can have him back, son," he soothed. Hiccup looked over, then looked up at his father. Reaching out eagerly, his father pulled his hand away.

"But remember," Stoick murmured as Hiccup pouted. "Always use the mind-".

He knocked Hiccup's head with his pointer finger, and the boy held his ears, annoyed. "-before the sword".

The Chief figure reappeared. Hiccup took it, and Stoick rubbed his son's hair messily. Hiccup smiled, watching his father leave the room, before looking down at the piece. He held it out in front of him, and a loud screeching noise made him jump.

"Coming, Njord!" he shouted, clutching the Chief in his palm. Jumping off the chair, Hiccup ran up the stairs to his room, where, upon opening the door, the screeching intensified. The boy panted, hands on his knees, before walking in and shutting the door behind him.

"Ready for a snack?" he cooed, opening a pot filled with soil. He rifled through the contents, searching for… Aha! Hiccup pulled with his fingers and out came a fat, wriggly worm. Standing straight, Hiccup climbed onto his desk chair, dropping his Chief.

A bird was screeching from a crude little box, clearly hungry. Hiccup lifted the hole-ridden lid with his free hand, and a beak thrust its way to him. "Here you go, Njord," he giggled, slowly lowering the worm into the bird's crying beak. It made a louder screech, then attempted to wolf the whole thing down. Swallowing, it chirruped before sticking its head out, looking at Hiccup with small, black eyes.

"How's it going?" the boy asked, sticking his finger out. Njord obliged, clambering upon the finger, before chirping and singing a song. Hiccup laughed as Njord spread his small, feathered wings, having them both almost spread out fully. "You're feeling better!" Hiccup exclaimed in happiness, then his face fell.

"You're feeling better," he repeated, the words starting to sink in. It wouldn't be long now before he would end up releasing Njord into the wild. Hiccup knew it was bound to happen eventually; he just didn't think it would be so soon.

Njord hopped up onto his shoulder and sat, nuzzling and getting comfortable. Hiccup sighed, then remembered about the piece. Leaning down carefully, so as not to disturb Njord, he groped around the floor until he felt the small piece of wood, and snatched it up. Straightening, he held it in front of Njord.

"This is the Chief," he told the bird seriously. "He protects us all. My dad is the Chief of the village, and I'm your Chief. One day, you'll be your own Chief".

Hiccup placed the piece on his desk, rolling it around. Njord had been listening, and now he watched the carved wood roll under Hiccup's small fingers. "I'll be very sad," he went on. "But it's for your own good. Maybe someday, you'll be Chief over your small baby chicks".

Njord stared on a bit longer, feeling the sadness coming off the boy. He pushed his head into the child's cheek, and Hiccup smiled.

"Hiccup!" came a shout from downstairs. Hiccup picked Njord up and placed him back in his box. "I'll come back later," Hiccup promised, and put the lid on the box. He jumped down the chair, covering the pot of soil and running from the room. "Coming!" he shouted, shutting the door behind him.

The Chief's piece lay, motionless, on the table, and the bird sang from his mini nest.

* * *

Hiccup stood, looking over the cliff face. The wind blew into his face, ruffling his auburn colored hair. A chirp sounded from his cupped hands, and at once Hiccup clutched his cargo tighter, not willing to let go.

A sigh made him look up, and there was his father, standing a little way away. The boy looked down quickly, feeling the heat coming from his soft load. "No one envies what you're doing, son," Stoick began soothingly, unsure of his son's reaction. "But it's for the best".

Hiccup's head shot up, tears running down his cheeks. "NO!" he cried out, backing away a little and trembling. Stoick turned and followed him, holding out his arms. "Hiccup-"

"NO Dad! You can't make me! Njord is MINE, and he can't be, can't be…" Hiccup broke off, kneeling down and sobbing full out now. His hands unfolded a little and a bird's head popped out, shaking in confusion as a tear splashed on it. It chirped, then struggled, trying to free itself from its confines. Hiccup clutched it harder, desperately trying to delay what was bound to happen.

Stoick suddenly grasped his son's shoulders and pulled him up, distress etched in his face. "HICCUP! Look at me, just look at me. You're hurting Njord," he growled, and Hiccup immediately stopped struggling, gasping as he heard the weak screeches coming from his palms.

The boy opened his fists in horror, scared for what he would find. Njord was there, his eyes closed, breathing slowly. The sun hit his feathers, and his eyes opened.

Standing up shakily, Hiccup stared at his hands, terrified. "He could've died…" he murmured, shaking.

"But he didn't". The words came from the man standing next to him, a hand on his shoulder. "It's time, son. You know that you can't keep Njord forever. He's wild, and is supposed to be free. We saved him, and now we must release him. It's for his own good," he added, noticing Hiccup's tears, fresh and glistening.

The boy stumbled away from his father, his arms outstretched. Trudging forward, Hiccup knelt along the edge of the cliff. "It's time for you to go," he murmured to the bird, and it tilted its head, confused. Hiccup gently took one hand away and, with two fingers, removed the splint Stoick had tied months ago.

Njord spread his wings, giving them a few experimental flaps. Then he hopped off the boy's hands, Hiccup standing and backing away. Stoick came over and half-hugged his son, who was leaning into him for support.

The bird unfurled his wings and flapped, wobbling a bit as he tried to gain his balance. Steadying himself out, he glided along the wind currents, then turned back to look at Hiccup. He dove and landed on his head.

"No, Njord…" Hiccup's voice broke as the bird sang a song. "You need to go. Be free".

Njord didn't understand, so Hiccup picked him up off his head and threw him. The bird let out a startled squawk and jumped into the air, flying away. He circled for a few beats and then left, heading deep into the forest.

Hiccup collapsed into his father, sobbing. Stoick patted his back comfortingly. "It's okay, Hiccup. You did the right thing. It was a noble sacrifice," he soothed, and Hiccup buried himself in Stoick's fur cloak. The man looked up, watching the speck that was Njord glide away, into the forest.

* * *

**Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this short story, which was a bit sad to write, I'll admit. You'll probably not see me again till June hits, but hopefully by then I'll have another chapter of "My Story" ready to post. **

**Well, that's a wrap! See all of you wonderful readers later. DB 2.0, out!**


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